The US Department of State released a statement that it will work without whatever government comes to power in Israel following the coalition process which is ongoing at present.
In the statement, Acting Spokesman Robert Wood stated the new American administration’s Department of State stressed Israel will remain a staunch ally of America. He made a point not to comment on the ongoing coalition process, not wishing to involve the American administration in internal Israeli politics.
As was reported earlier by YWN, President Obama phoned President Peres to congratulate him on the election process, refraining from phoning either Tzipi or Netanyahu due to the confusion regarding the outcome of the election.
QUESTION: There was an election yesterday in Israel. It doesn’t look like we know what exactly is going to emerge out of it, but what are your thoughts about what happened?
MR. WOOD: Well, the official results are not in, so we’re not going to speculate on what kind of a government may be formed. But Israel’s a thriving democracy and it’s in a middle of a constitutional process for selecting a government. And we look forward to working with that new government once it’s formed. We have a robust agenda with the Government of Israel, as you know. And so we’re looking forward to getting down to business with the new government, with –
QUESTION: The Palestinians are saying that any future Israeli government, no matter who it may be, needs to honor Israel’s past agreements with the Palestinians, freeze all settlement activity, deal seriously with some of the Arab peace initiatives that have been out there for a comprehensive peace between Arabs and Israelis, and needs to believe and promote a two-state solution. Do you think that the new Israeli government, no matter who it should be, should stick to those principles?
MR. WOOD: Look, we’ve been working over the years with governments in Israel on trying to bring about – or trying to affect a peace process, and that’s still going to be our goal. And I believe that, you know, once a government is formed, we’ll be able to sit down with that government and talk about the various issues involved in the Middle East. But I’m not going to get ahead of the formation of a new Israeli government.
QUESTION: No, but would you expect that any Israeli government would continue on the idea of a two-state solution?
MR. WOOD: Certainly, that’s what we have been pursuing. And you know, again, let’s let a government be formed. We certainly hope that a new government will continue to pursue a path to peace. I see no reason to think that a new government would do something otherwise. But again, let’s wait for a new government to be formed, and then we can talk more about the issue.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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One Response
Work “with or work “without” what ever govermnent comes to power in Israel? I certainly hope our government will work with whatever government coalition comes to power through legal elections.